Y’all know we love artists who give back!
Hip Hop legend Nasir “Nas” Jones has partnered with Hennessy and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) to promote a $10 million scholarship program for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Black Enterprise reports.
The Hennessy Fellows Program will “award high-achieving graduate students from HBCUs with curated corporate development experiences, as well as financial assistance.” Fellows will have the opportunity to receive a $20,000 scholarship per academic year, a $10,000 educational stipend, an opportunity to compete for a community based project grant of up to $10,000, access to various training, networking and professional events, 1:1 coaching from executives as well as development of leadership skills through various experiences and the opportunity to attend an immersive boot camp in the summer of 2020.
This isn’t the first time the Queens emcee has put his efforts behind educational initiatives. In 2013, he partnered with Harvard and the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute to establish the Nasir Jones Hip Hop Fellowship for students who show “exceptional creative ability in the arts.”
Nas, a celebrity ambassador for Hennessy, spoke to Black Enterprise about the new program. “I’m proud to lend my voice to encourage enrollment in the Hennessy Fellows Program, created for students who want to blaze their own trails and pursue their dreams, regardless of the challenges,” he said.
The program hopes to create a pipeline for HBCU students to transition into careers at large organizations, crafting a more diverse and highly qualified talent pool for corporations over the next 10 years. The $10 million initiative is unprecedented and only 10 fellows will be chosen per year.
The lyrical icon said he thinks Hennessy and TMCF are the perfect partners for this initiative. “Hennessy’s mantra is all about pushing the limits of one’s potential and breaking down barriers. ‘Never stop. Never settle,’ is more than a slogan. It is the creative engine driving our partnership and the motivational compass directing me to push for new limits every day - in the studio, on the stage, and in business. Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s mission of “changing the world...one leader at a time” is right in line with pushing those same boundaries,” Nas said.
The application for the program is open now through December 31, 2019. Students must be at least 21 years of age, enrolled in an accredited HBCU graduate program and have a GPA minimum of 3.25. Fellows will be announced at the top of next year.
Thank you Nas for continuing to change the game!